The present invention relates to a copier, facsimile apparatus, printer or similar image forming equipment and, more particularly, to a sheet feeding device having a mechanism for changing the position or orientation of a sheet being transported from a sheet storing section included in the device toward an image forming section included in the equipment by 90 degrees.
There has been proposed a sheet position changing mechanism capable of changing the orientation of a sheet fed out from a sheet storing section by 90 degrees in the horizontal direction before the sheet reaches an image forming station as mentioned above. With such a device, it is possible to transport a sheet accommodated longitudinally in the intended direction, i.e., in the plane of the sheet surface, of sheet feed in a sheet storing section sideways, i.e. , in the same orientation as a sheet accommodated laterally in a sheet storing section, or vice versa. The sheet position changing device, therefore, allows a single sheet storing section to replace conventional two exclusive sheet storing section which are respectively loaded with a sheet stack in a lateral position and a sheet stack in a longitudinal position, so long as the two sheet stacks are of the same size. There has also been proposed a sheet feeding device having a plurality of horizontal sheet storing sections arranged in a tandem configuration, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 86326/1986.
The two kinds of conventional devices described above enhance the functions available with each of the sheet storing sections arranged one above another and, at the same time, save the space for installation and cost. However, when each of the two devices in used alone, the advantages available therewith are limited.